


Home at Night

by thebigpalooka



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Healthy Relationships, raising a teenager i suppose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22932358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebigpalooka/pseuds/thebigpalooka
Summary: He ran for a long time tonight. There was no special reason.  It was a beautiful night and a beautiful sky, and he wanted to get lost in it. ...Also, Sonic forgot to tell anyone he was leaving the house, and it's really, really late now.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 350





	Home at Night

It was a gorgeous night - one of the best Sonic could remember, and that was saying a lot. He’d wandered out without any particular plans while the sun was still fading, and just … lingered. On a night this clear, it felt like you really could count a billion stars if the sun would’ve stayed away long enough for you to try. 

It was different now, ever since San Francisco. There were the obvious things, sure - he had a new home, new friends - new a lot of things. But even the stuff that didn’t change seemed different. Now when he paused on the hills - green, indeed - that looked down over the town, he didn’t have to wonder what it would be like to run towards the flickering lights instead of skirting around the edges. To walk into a brightly-lit house and get a slobbery greeting from your best animal friend, and not have to worry about disappearing into the dark.

Of course, it was dark now. But a different kind of dark. A friendly kind. There were those stars, for one thing. He’d always loved them. Really, the only time he’d ever minded the night were the times when clouds would obscure the stars and the wind would rustle through the woods. He didn’t like that much. Felt like there were eyes watching him from the trees, and he’d roll up in his cave listening to that howl, never feeling entirely safe. There were still windy nights, but now they didn’t bother him. The wind couldn’t seem to get into his cozy attic room.

Clear nights, now, that was different. Sonic had learned a long time ago it was wisest to stay away from the roads around dusk. People got awfully nervous if they caught a glimpse of you in the twilight, and he’d caused more than one person to swerve onto the shoulder, cursing at whatever kind of animal they thought they’d seen. But almost nobody was ever driving around Green Hills after dark. When the stars were bright like tonight, he liked to go out to the highway and just run. When he ran out of highway, he’d run alongside the interstate for a while, somewhere he could run in the dark without worrying about fences or barriers - just gaze up at those stars and feel like he was running right into them. It was just about the only thing he could run towards that never got any closer. He kinda liked that.

He ran for a long time tonight, zigged out of town one way before turning and zagging past it the other way, now eastbound, now southbound, before retracing his steps and doing it all over again. There was no special reason. It was a beautiful night and a beautiful sky, and he wanted to get lost in it. The stars had shifted around quite a bit by the time he finally turned back toward Green Hills and headed for Tom and Maddie’s house. Everything was quiet and still as he jogged up the front steps. They must’ve been asleep by now; it really was awfully late. He was pretty sleepy, too, come to think of it. 

The door wasn’t locked - it didn’t really occur to him that it might be - and he slipped inside, pausing only to give his shoes a perfunctory scuff on the doormat, a habit which Maddie persisted in trying to cultivate in Tom and him both, and then pausing once more on his way towards the attic stairs as a long, loud yawn caught up to him. He stretched, and was just about to move on up to bed when the hall light flicked on.

“Sonic!”

He jumped like the sound had zapped him, and spun around to see Tom - oh, and Maddie too, padding up behind him in her slippers, arms crossed over her bathrobe. Ozzie was trotting along at the rear, and when he caught sight of Sonic, headed right over to greet him as usual. It wasn’t as enjoyable as usual, though. There was a weird look on Tom’s face and it made Sonic feel a sensation he’d never experienced before, although plenty of kids around the world knew exactly what it was. He did know something was wrong, and so a nervous little chuckle escaped him before he could say anything else. He offered a faint wave with the hand that wasn’t fending off Ozzie’s kisses. “O-oh, hi! You’re still up?”

Tom did not smile. He got about three feet away and stopped, and Sonic wondered if this was how it felt to be a donut right before you got eaten. He shrank back a bit.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Tom demanded. He didn’t shout it; he said it almost quietly, and that was much worse. Sonic’s eyes darted about, and even Ozzie seemed to know something was amiss, because he slunk away again, like a coward.

“Uh… night time?” Sonic offered at last, stupidly. Maddie drew up at Tom’s elbow, and Sonic glanced her way, but any hope of an alliance between them died quickly when he saw the furrow in her brow.

“It’s almost two am,” she said, and her voice was quiet too. Tom was talking again almost before she finished.

“Where were you? Bedtime was hours ago. It was  _ days _ ago, dude. Where have you been?” 

“I was - is that it? I was just out running around, that’s all.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder with another little awkward laugh. “I mean, what else would I be doing? It’s like, this is the opposite of a surprise, honestly -”

“It’s the middle of the night!” Tom’s volume went up a couple notches, enough for Sonic to swallow his next words. He...he actually looked pretty mad. Sonic shifted his weight uncomfortably.

“I … wasn’t tired. It’s nice out, so -” Nope. Wasn’t working. He shifted tracks a little. “I do this all the time, relax! It’s not a big deal.”

Tom’s eyes got wide, and a muscle throbbed in his jaw. “Not a - not a big - !”

Maddie grasped his arm before he said more, and he threw up his hands, spinning to take a few steps in the opposite direction, sputtering. That was the first time Sonic noticed that, unlike Maddie, he wasn’t wearing the amusingly dumb-looking pajama pants he usually put on at night, the ones with cartoon characters on them. He was wearing blue jeans, and in fact, he had his shoes on, too. That was weird. His gaze shifted back to Maddie as she bent towards him. He didn’t quite like to meet her eyes, but he did it anyway, because it was easier than the thought of meeting Tom’s when he turned around again.

“We’ve been worried sick. You weren’t in your room at bedtime, you weren’t anywhere. We waited and we  _ waited _ , and we called for you - Tom went out looking for you -” She trailed off as Sonic’s eyes got wide. 

“Wh...but...but why? I was fine.” He did take a tentative step in Tom’s direction, lifting his voice to ensure it’d carry enough. “You know that, right?” He glanced between the two of them as Tom finally turned and walked back, hands clasped behind his head like he didn’t know what to do with them. He felt a strange desperation to smooth things over. “I mean - geez, I know those roads like the back of my hand, I grew up here, remember? Besides, I can handle myself, I’ve got superpowers! I mean, practically superpowers - I’m basically in the early stages of my superhero journey, but - look, the point is, I’ve got this! You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself, I’ve been doing it for years. It’s totally, totally fine-”

“It’s  _ not _ fine,” Tom interrupted. Sonic stopped again, wincing faintly. Tom hesitated, clearly struggling a moment, before he sighed, shoulders dropping a fraction as some of the tension left them. He dropped to a crouch at Sonic’s level. “...Sonic. I get it. You’re a capable guy - you can take care of yourself, you’re tough, you’re practically a grown man - whatever. Not the point. You can’t just disappear without letting us know where you are. That’s not how this works.”

Not how this works. Sonic felt his stomach drop. He really was in trouble. They were mad at him, really mad. Maybe they’d kick him out. It was the worst outcome he could think of, so naturally, he thought of it first. “...What do you mean?” he managed at last, trying not to sound terrified. “Like … I-I’m a bad roommate or something?”

Tom snorted, couldn’t help himself. “Yeah, well, maybe sometimes. We can discuss what it’s like in the bathroom after you’ve been playing around, but that’s not what I’m talking about. You can’t just decide to stay out half the night without telling anyone. Maddie and I need to know where you are and we da -” His eyes darted to hers. “- _ Darn _ sure need to know where you are this late at night.”

“We weren’t worried because you can’t take care of yourself,” Maddie added, lowering herself to her knees beside Tom. “...We were worried because you were out there somewhere  _ alone _ and we didn’t know where, or why, or when you’d come home.” 

He stared at the pair of them. He wasn’t a slowpoke upstairs anymore than he was in the feet department, but it felt like that all took a long time to sink in. Or maybe he grasped it all immediately, but then he just didn’t know what to do with it. Somehow, even though it should’ve made him feel good, it actually made him feel terrible. It was almost like he was a little boy again, zipping around without a care in the world when Longclaw told him not to - 

But no, it wasn’t even quite like that, either. He could take care of himself. They even said so. But then, what had he done the last time things didn’t feel safe? He’d come here. And sure - had his much-admired Donut Lord betrayed him, shot him in cold blood? Absolutely he had. But deep down, Sonic knew why he’d run straight here, and why he’d wanted so badly to stay. It hadn’t quite occurred to him until now that it might work both ways. They were...like a family. How would he feel if Tom or Maddie disappeared in the middle of the night…?

Maybe Tom could sense what he was thinking, or maybe he was just quick enough upstairs himself. He dipped his chin to catch the little blue hedgehog’s eye. “Are you listening? Hey.” He didn’t sound angry anymore. It was still a little hard to look at him. Sonic nodded though.

“Y-yeah,” he mumbled, voice cracking a little. He hated to sound so uncool, but he couldn’t quite help it. “I’m...I’m sorry. I just didn’t think - I didn’t know you’d be worried about me. Nobody ever….” He trailed off. They knew that already. He shook his head a little. “But we’re friends now. That’s what you mean. Right? Friends worry about each other.”

Tom and Maddie exchanged a look which Sonic, alert as he was, did not catch, before Tom nodded. “Yeah. That’s right. They do. Friends take care of each other. ...So do families.”

Sonic’s ears shot up even before his eyes did. He was on the verge of saying something, but checked it. “Oh -! O-oh. Yeah. I guess - I guess you’re right.”

Maddie pursed her lips before reaching out to pass a hand over his head, brushing at a stray leaf that had gotten lodged in his quills somewhere along the way. “...And what they  _ don’t  _ do is stay out all night without telling anybody.”

He squirmed, and looked pleasantly embarrassed. “Okay, okay, I get it. I won’t disappear again. I mean, not without saying so first.” He paused. “...Are you … gonna ground me or something?”

Tom raised a brow, looked intrigued. He overdid it though, and Sonic knew he was faking it even before he looked at Maddie. She shook her head.

“Cruel and unusual,” was her assessment and Tom sighed, as if disappointed. “But! We might be talking about TV privileges in the morning.”

“Whaaat? Aw, man -!”

“Do the crime, you gotta do the time, bud,” Tom shrugged, obviously devoid of all pity. “But speaking of time - it is way past late. I think it’s ‘time’ for all of us to get some sleep. Finally.”

“Yeah, yeah. G’night.” Sonic turned and headed for the attic, feeling the two humans following behind. He was glad, secretly. It was too embarrassing to ask them to wait, but he didn’t have his nerve up yet. He climbed up two or three steps and then stopped, turning to face them both. “I’m sorry I made you worry. Really.”

Tom nodded, and offered a tired smile. “...Yeah. I know.”

“Night, Big Blue,” Maddie wrinkled her nose at him, which was humiliating every time, but partly because it was nice. Weird, and embarrassing and nice. Sonic squirmed again, and shot up the stairs, gone in a flash.

Then, in a flash, he was back again. He skidded to a stop on the same stair, momentum carrying him forward enough to crash into the pair of them at gut-level. Tom, who got the biggest dose of hedgehog skull to the stomach, gave a faint grunt, but recovered quickly enough to be aware of two little arms encircling as much as he could reach of them both at once. For once in his life, Sonic didn’t say anything, he just hugged them as hard as he could, while Maddie stroked his ears and Tom threaded a hand through the quills on his back. Then, when he’d hugged them for a totally cool and not at all wimpy amount of time, he pulled back and retreated upstairs again, giving a little wave over his shoulder so he wouldn’t have to look back at Tom and Maddie smiling at him. He knew they were, though. He paused just for a second when he was alone in his room, and looked around at the lights Maddie had strung up for him. Outside, the real stars he loved so much twinkled down through the skylight. He took in a deep breath, let it out again. Then he kicked his shoes off and dove straight into bed.

Safe and sound.


End file.
